All the talk before the first Test of the Australian summer revolved around the batting paradise that Perth was. The curator had rung out a silent warning that there would be a more sportive wicket on display with a bit more grass than usual.
Faf Du Plessis, standing in for the injured skipper, AB de Villiers, who has a huge series ahead of him, will not be entirely pleased with Day 1. A David Warner thunder stole the lightning that was South Africa's revival after being reduced to 32/4 courtesy some extraordinary lengths from the Aussie seamers.
But was Warner, Starc, and Hazlewood the reason South Africa are already on the backfoot on Day 1 in Perth. Here is a take on five things the Proteas messed up on the opening day.
#1 Choosing to bat
The decision was always going to be 50-50 with the grass on the pitch and the early movement and bounce at the WACA. When Faf opted to bat first, Steven Smith echoed that he would have wanted to bat first as well.
What Faf, however, did not consider was that in a big series opener, you never want to start on the backfoot. Against the likes of Starc and Hazlewood, on a green top, early in the morning, negotiating the first few overs would be tricky. And if they did not, they paid a hefty price, as they did today.
He could have unleashed his seamers against Warner and co. first up to get a real glimpse of the pitch before batting. It seemed like the wiser choice and the better one, especially considering that they did not have De Villiers in their ranks.
#2 Dealing with Hazlewood
All the pre-series talk revolved around Mitchell Starc, his pace, and late swing. Hazlewood was virtually in an oblivion despite being a terrific performer in Tests of late. His consistency outside the off-stump has been a revelation and drawn comparisons to the legendary Glenn McGrath.
While South Africa were evidently careful against Starc, one could see Elgar and Amla loose against Hazlewood, and he made them pay with two perfect deliveries. Although Starc finished with four wickets, it was Hazlewood who began the slide.
In the end, it was him again who dismissed the dangerous De Kock on the pull. Again De Kock, like Amla and Elgar, was careful against Starc but loose against Hazlewood.
#3 Playing Amla and Duminy ahead of Faf
When Jacques Kallis walked off from his famed no.3 slot, Faf Du Plessis was the man assigned to that slot, despite Amla, a terrific player, being at no.4 for a long time. But there was another reason for choosing Faf ahead of Amla for that slot.
While Amla is undoubtedly a brilliant batsman, his technique is not apt for a no.3. The tendency to waft at swinging balls outside the off stump and his susceptibility to incoming deliveries make him a suspect no.3. Strangely, in the last few Tests, Faf has tended to bat below Amla, and while that looked alright on sub-continental wickets, on a spicy Perth pitch with Starc and Hazlewood on fire, it was a bad move.
Faf showed the way later, after coming in below even Duminy at no.5, with textbook style defensive strokes and 'head over the ball' techniques. From 32/4, Faf did well to consolidate, but if he had walked in after the first wicket, the consolidation could have begun earlier, and they would have had Amla and Duminy to unleash later.
#4 Planning for Shaun Marsh
When the Proteas came out to bowl later in the day, there seemed to be a clear-cut plan to target Shaun Marsh. While that was alright, the plan to upset him with short stuff on a juicy wicket where bowling full had to be the motto, was far from a good ploy.
Steyn and even Philander dug it in short and had Marsh in trouble but never got him. At least at this point, they had to push the ball fuller as the tendency to bowl short had slipped on to Warner as well, who was relishing the opportunity to play on the back foot.
In the first place, it was Warner they needed to target. With his ability to take the game away in a few overs, he had to be the first aim. But in the few overs that the Proteas targeted Marsh, Warner took the game completely away.
#5 The bowling change
Steyn and Philander were on the mark in the first few overs before falling completely into the short category. When Philander did find his groove against Marsh, with his usual nip and seam, he was taken off the attack to bring Rabada in.
With Steyn clocking 150kmph and bowling with a lot of venom like 3-4 years back, it seemed a decent move. But Steyn was extremely short, despite his pace being right up there, and this helped Warner to dominate him. Philander, meanwhile, had just got into his rhythm and could have worked over Warner if not for a no-ball.
The wrong bowling change saw Warner nicely settle into the pace on offer from Rabada and Steyn and smash them around. The nippy Philander should have been persisted with for an over or two more. Rabada had to be brought into the attack in place of Steyn, who seems better off in short bursts with his refound pace and venom.
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